Thursday Doors: Goodbye Snowman

This time of year there are a lot of decorated doors that are deservedly getting more attention getting than the ones I’m showing here. But I want to dedicate this blog to a dear departed friend: our Christmas snowman.

We first got a light-up snowman for our yard in Belmont MA in 2006, and we set it up near the front door.

At times, it was joined by friends, both human and non.

Night watchman

With the new seal

With our son

After several years of Boston-area winters, one of which completely buried it under the snow, that snowman no longer lit up anymore, in spite of my father’s and my best efforts to fix it, and it had to be retired.

It was replaced by Snowman 2.0, a new and improved model, with its own cardinals to keep it and the seal company:

That’s nice, but where’s the snow?

I brought them to CA last year–why not–and set them up again, a little ways removed from the door this time because that’s where the tree was, where they would be most visible to passers-by, and where it worked to run a cord from the plug in the backyard.

They lasted about 4 days until they disappeared, leaving behind only a small trail of glitter.

Snowman and trees in CA

Where’d everybody go?

I did report the presumed theft to the police, but nothing was ever found. I like to think they are brightening someone’s yard who couldn’t afford decorations otherwise.

Sadly, the Grinch travels worldwide; if you get a replacement (again) be sure to put a sign on it advising the Grinch that there is a curse on Mr. Snowman if he leaves his loving home but they can take Thursday Doors for free if they want some priceless stuff 🙂

@We are the 100%: People in Boston are friendly once you got to know them. They are great people, and become your friends for life. But I’m just talking about the day-to-day interactions with strangers on the street and in stores and things. In CA I think people are just more “shiny and happy” (as the old REM song goes) because most of the year they’re out in the sunshine rather than battling snow and ice or hunkering down in their houses. And driving in CA is much more pleasant. I really disliked driving in Boston. Drivers were rude and in a rush and there was too much honking and not enough left turn lanes/arrows or clearly marked street signs. Here everyone is more polite. But I’d trade all that for Boston-area public transportation. I biked, bussed, and took the T most days to work, and it was much more interesting (and better for the environment and community) than driving.

Since your attempts to resuscitate the snowman, my guess is you’re not living high enough to have a real one…?
A curious question, how different is life in Boston compared to California ? (am one of those people who are interested in anthropological things -never cease to amaze me how different life is in different states – can’t remember if I told that I’m Dutch)

Nope, no real ones here in the Bay Area. But people go surprisingly all out with the decorations. My favorite one so far is a surfing Santa! I was a little surprised how similar life is here relative to Belmont (MA, not CA). You still have the tech companies and the entrepreneurs, and the fancy schools and hospitals. There wasn’t a huge amount of culture shock; it’s just Stanford instead of Harvard. The sushi and other Asian food is better out here (I care about this because I really like Asian food). And the architecture is different. I also felt like people here were more immediately friendly than in Boston, which I think is attributable to the weather and being outside most of the year.

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The Brain—is wider than the Sky

I am a neuroscientist, educator, geocacher, Unitarian-Universalist, amateur violinist, and parent. I have always been fascinated by how people's brains learn, and especially why this process is easier and more fun for some brains than others. This led me to get a PhD in Neuroscience, work in biotech, and then become a science educator and writer.